Tampa Bay
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersClearwater, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Tampa Bay does
Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED), legally domiciled in Clearwater, Florida, is the county-government economic development authority for Pinellas County, established in 2000 and led since inception by Director Dr. Cynthia Johnson. Operating under an Interlocal Agreement with all 24 municipalities of the county and funded through county budget allocations plus the voter-approved Penny for Pinellas sales tax program, PCED provides free business assistance services including site selection, business consulting, workforce development coordination, international trade and export support, government contracting facilitation, and small-business advisory through its embedded Florida SBDC.
PCED's signature economic-development capital instrument is the Employment Sites Program (ESP), authorized at approximately $93 million over ten years beginning in 2021 and designed to gap-finance industrial and office development. ESP has approved 26 projects, catalyzed $251 million in private-sector investment, and delivered 1.6 million+ square feet of new industrial and office space. The agency targets six vertical clusters: Advanced Manufacturing (34,000+ employees), Aviation & Aerospace (7,000+), Information Technology (11,500+ workers across 1,000+ firms), Defense & Homeland Security (40,000+ defense-related jobs and 84,100+ veterans), Life Sciences & Medical Technologies (7,000+ medical-tech jobs; Pinellas generates roughly one-fifth of Florida's medical-device economic activity), and Business & Financial Services (30,000+).
The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales in which PCED economic development managers serve as a single point of contact for companies ranging from startups to global corporations. Distribution combines direct business consulting, the in-house Florida SBDC for SMBs, and municipal partnerships across the county. Marketing reaches prospects through the pced.org website, social channels, monthly newsletters, earned media, an annual reverse trade show (120+ attendees in 2026), international trade missions, and tech-conference presence at Collision. Major employer relationships in the served base include Publix, Raymond James, All Children's Health Systems, Jabil, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, and recent ESP-assisted expansions at Wendover Art Group and McCormick Stevenson.
Tampa Bay firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tampa Bay
- Legal name
- Pinellas County Economic Development
- Website
- https://pced.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tampa Bay industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Economic Development Services
- NAICS
- Administration of Economic Programs (9261), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251)
- SIC
- Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744), Non-Operating Establishments (9995)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Project Preparation Facilities & Technical Assistance Windows (BPADAOAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Real Estate Public-Private Partnership (PPP) & Infrastructure-Adjacent Real Estate Advisory (BPAJANAL)
Keywords
Where Tampa Bay is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Clearwater
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Tampa Bay business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Government Funding: PCED is a government organization funded through county budget allocations and the Penny for Pinellas program. It provides free services to businesses including consulting, site selection, and workforce development assistance.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Tampa Bay product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED) is a government economic development agency that delivers free business assistance to companies seeking to relocate, expand, or start operations in Pinellas County, Florida. Core offerings include site selection consulting, workforce development support, financing tools (anchored by the $90+ million Employment Sites Program), international trade and Foreign Trade Zone services, and connections to 24 municipal partners. The agency serves businesses at every stage from startups to global corporations across six target industry verticals.
Product overview
Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED) is a government economic development organization that provides business assistance services rather than a software product company. Their services include the Employment Sites Program (ESP) which provides funding assistance for industrial and office building construction, business consulting through the Florida SBDC at PCED, workforce development support, site selection assistance, international trade/export assistance, and government contracting support. The organization focuses on attracting companies to Pinellas County and helping existing businesses expand.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Employment Sites Program (ESP) Capital incentive program providing more than $90 million in funding from the Penny for Pinellas sales tax program over ten years for construction and redevelopment of industrial and office buildings in Pinellas County. Supports projects like Brooker Creek South (first ESP-supported industrial building) and the Wendover Art Group expansion. Has created over 1.6 million square feet of industrial and office space and leveraged $251 million in private sector investment across 26 approved projects since inception.
- Florida SBDC at Pinellas County Small Business Development Center housed within PCED providing free consulting, workshops, and government contracting assistance to entrepreneurs and small businesses in Pinellas County. Offers support in strategic planning, marketing, financial plans, business plans, and capital raising.
- APEX Accelerator (Government Contracting) Government contracting consulting program at Pinellas County providing assistance with certifications, contract compliance, and procurement navigation. Includes Procurement Professional (CPP), VA CVE Verification Counselor, and Supply Chain Management Professional (SCMP) certification advisory services.
- International Trade & Foreign Direct Investment Services Services supporting companies seeking to export or foreign companies looking to invest in Pinellas County, including Foreign Trade Zone management, trade mission coordination, Gold Key-Matchmaker Grants, and connections to international distributors. Facilitated through partnerships with Enterprise Florida and the U.S. Commercial Service, plus the Global Tampa Bay collaborative.
- Business Site Selection & Expansion Consulting Direct one-on-one consulting by economic development managers for site selection, business planning, workforce training, and corporate expansion support. Covers all six target industries (Advanced Manufacturing, Aviation & Aerospace, Information Technology, Defense & Homeland Security, Life Sciences & Medical Technologies, Business & Financial Services) and all business stages from startups to global corporations.
- Small Business Enterprise Program (SBE) Certification and support program for small businesses seeking to participate in county contracts and supplier diversity initiatives, managed through the Office of Small Business and Supplier Diversity at PCED.
Quantifiable outcome
- Created over 1.6 million square feet of industrial and office space through ESP
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Tampa Bay
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Tampa Bay technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Tampa Bay partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- 24 Municipalities of Pinellas CountycorePCED works with all 24 municipalities in Pinellas County through an Interlocal Agreement to provide countywide economic development services. The Employment Sites Program involves municipalities in development projects.
- U.S. Economic Development AdministrationmajorFederal partner that provided approximately $11.3 million grant for ARK Innovation Center design and construction. Collaborates on regional economic development initiatives.
- City of St. PetersburgmajorDonated 2.5 acres of land within Innovation District for ARK Innovation Center. Partnered with PCED for economic development initiatives including trade missions.
- Tampa Bay Innovation CentercoreTech incubator and accelerator that operates the ARK Innovation Center. Provides programs and mentorship for early-stage tech companies.
- ARK InvestmajorCathie Wood's investment firm, board member of Tampa Bay Innovation Center, and major supporter of the ARK Innovation Center project. Collaboration focused on disruptive technology companies.
- St. Petersburg Economic Development CorporationcoreRegional EDC partner that collaborated with PCED on business recruitment, including assistance to Oncore Cloud Services relocation.
- Clearwater Business SPARKcoreCity of Clearwater's economic development partner that helped connect businesses like Yo Mama's Foods with resources and facilities.
- Florida SBDC at Pinellas CountycoreSmall Business Development Center housed within PCED providing free consulting, workshops, and government contracting assistance to entrepreneurs and small businesses.
- Enterprise FloridamajorState's primary entity for trade and export development. Collaborated on Gold Key-Matchmaker Grants and trade show opportunities for businesses.
- U.S. Commercial ServicemajorFederal trade agency that helped connect companies like Yo Mama's Foods with international distributors and export opportunities.
- Global Tampa BaymajorTrade and investment collaborative bringing together Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Pasco counties to promote the region internationally. PCED's Brent Barkway was instrumental in launching this initiative.
- CareerSource Tampa BaycoreWorkforce development board that helps connect businesses with talent and training resources. Assisted Oncore Cloud Services with hiring.
- Florida Universities (USF, SPC, UCF, UF, FSU, Florida Poly)majorEducational partners providing talent pipeline and research capabilities. Florida High Tech Corridor Council member supporting tech workforce development.
- Duke EnergymajorUtility company providing workforce development support. Awarded $773,000 to strengthen STEM education in the region. Connected to Oncore Cloud Services relocation.
- Harrod Properties, Inc.majorCommercial real estate developer that built Brooker Creek South, the first ESP-supported industrial building. $15 million investment in 130,000 sq ft facility.
- Florida Department of Economic OpportunitymajorState agency that provided workforce assistance and training grant funding. Collaborated on disaster recovery programs.
- Tampa Bay Regional Planning CouncilmajorRegional planning body that provides business continuity planning resources and hosts Future of the Region Awards.
Scale indicators18 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Tampa Bay competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Enterprise Florida: State of Florida's primary economic development organization. PCED is a formal partner of Enterprise Florida; they collaborate on trade and export development, making it a broader but overlapping entity in the same ecosystem.
- Greater Houston Partnership: Large metropolitan chamber/EDC hybrid running comparable target-industry recruitment, workforce development, and incentive programs. Useful benchmark for PCED's program sophistication at a much larger scale.
- Florida Department of Economic Opportunity: State agency administering workforce training grants and disaster recovery programs that PCED leverages. Higher-level policy and funding counterpart, making it a broad-overlap peer rather than a direct competitor.
Others
- Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster: Regional industry cluster organization focused on cleantech. Comparable as a cluster-development organization but operates in a different region and theme; useful for benchmarking PCED's targeted-vertical strategy.
Direct peers
- CareerSource Tampa Bay: Regional workforce development board that PCED partners with to connect businesses with talent. Closely comparable in workforce/training services and serves the same geographic market.
- Tampa Bay Innovation Center: Tech incubator operating the ARK Innovation Center in partnership with PCED. Directly comparable in startup/innovation support mission and serves the same target industries (IT, AI, SaaS).
- St. Petersburg Economic Development Corporation: City-level EDC collaborating with PCED on business recruitment (e.g., Oncore Cloud Services). Highly comparable in mission and target verticals, operating within the same geographic region.
Regional players
- Pasco Economic Development Council: County-level EDC for Pasco County, part of the same Tampa Bay region via Global Tampa Bay. Comparable in mission, services, and target industries, and competes directly with PCED for talent and corporate tenants.
- Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership: Regional EDC near NASA's Johnson Space Center with a similar aerospace/defense industry focus. Comparable in defense-driven target industries and military-base proximity, similar scale to PCED.
- Tampa Bay Economic Development Council: Regional EDC serving Hillsborough County and the broader Tampa Bay area. Directly comparable as a neighboring county-level economic development organization competing for the same corporate relocations and expansions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tampa Bay social profiles
Digital presenceTampa Bay financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tampa Bay leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Tampa Bay funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tampa Bay M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tampa Bay
What does Tampa Bay do?
Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED) is a government economic development agency that delivers free business assistance to companies seeking to relocate, expand, or start operations in Pinellas County, Florida. Core offerings include site selection consulting, workforce development support, financing tools (anchored by the $90+ million Employment Sites Program), international trade and Foreign Trade Zone services, and connections to 24 municipal partners. The agency serves businesses at every stage from startups to global corporations across six target industry verticals.
Is Tampa Bay a public or private company?
Tampa Bay is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Tampa Bay founded?
Tampa Bay was founded in 2000. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Tampa Bay based?
Tampa Bay is headquartered in Clearwater, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tampa Bay make money?
One revenue line is on record: government Funding.
Who are Tampa Bay's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Enterprise Florida, Greater Houston Partnership and Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster is listed as an others. Direct peers are CareerSource Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Innovation Center and St. Petersburg Economic Development Corporation. Regional players are Pasco Economic Development Council, Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership and Tampa Bay Economic Development Council.
Does Tampa Bay have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tampa Bay.
What industry is Tampa Bay in?
Tampa Bay's product category is Economic Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADAOAI, Project Preparation Facilities & Technical Assistance Windows, with a secondary code of BPAJANAL, Real Estate Public-Private Partnership (PPP) & Infrastructure-Adjacent Real Estate Advisory. Its NAICS code is 9261 and its SIC code is 8744.